Tall Ships sailing back for first Boston visit since 2000

For the first time in 17 years, Tall Ships will sail into Boston Harbor in a parade, heightening the grandeur of these multiple-mast sailing vessels from around the world.

“They sail in all at once and it’s quite a spectacle,” said Dusty Rhodes, executive director of Sail Boston, the nonprofit that organized the Boston event. “You can see the ships going by from a couple of hundred yards away. You can’t do that in most cities because they don’t have this type of harbor configuration. It’s quite delightful.”

After the Tall Ships parade on June 17, boat crews will welcome the public to board while the vessels are docked for five days at various sites in Boston. Multiple boat companies will run cruises throughout the day and evening that will bring the public within yards of the boats.

“On the boat, you can spread out and enjoy the view from the water, without being among the throngs that are predicted on the piers,” said John McDonald, the owner of the Quincy-based JM Production. McDonald will run six 175-passenger cruises from Marina Bay, in conjunction with Mass Bay Cruises. “You’ll get to relax and listen to the narration and learn about more than a dozen boats.”

The 50 ships, representing about 20 countries, will be racing to Boston from Bermuda, after starting in Royal Greenwich, London and racing to Sine, Portugal. When they depart June 22, they will complete the final leg of the race in Quebec City.

This is the fourth Tall Ship visit to Boston. To mark the 500-year discovery of the Americas by Europeans in 1992, 200 ships came, and in 2000, 100 ships arrived. When 45 Tall Ships stopped in Boston in 2009, they arrived staggered over two days and attracted about 3.1 million visitors.

“Boston has a reputation for welcoming the ships with open arms and hearts,” Rhodes said.

Boston is a popular stop because its narrow harbor and multiple viewing parks and piers encourage connections between the crews and public, Rhodes said. Once they dock the ships downtown, the roughly 1,800 crew members will parade June 19 from the Seaport Boulevard to Downtown Crossing, where the race prize ceremony will take place. As part of the Sail Boston Festival, they will have a soccer tournament June 20 and attend a party on Fan Pier on June 21, to which the public can buy tickets.

A big difference since 2009 is the new viewing areas – Piers Park in East Boston, Thomas J. Menino Park in Charlestown, and the Seaport District. Additionally, the public will have to pass through security to enter the downtown parade viewing areas and to board the ships.

“We want people to go to the website and look at prohibited items, because of the higher level of security,” Rhodes said.

After getting through security, the fun part starts.

“People will have different favorites,” Rhodes said. “The Esmeralda from Chile is unbelievably beautiful, and the Union from Peru is so long it would go from end zone to end zone at Gilette Stadium.”

The ships – some with more than 20 sails – are traditionally rigged sailing vessels owned by navies, training academies and individuals. They include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques.

At least six tour boat operators offer a variety of tours over five days where narrators will describe the ship’s qualities, history and crews. All depart from Boston, with the exception of JM Productions’ Tall Ship Cruises, which depart from Squantum Point Park in Marina Bay June 17 and 18.

Each company makes a contribution to offset the $2.5 million event costs incurred by Sail Boston, a nonprofit created in 1988 that promotes maritime heritage and tourism. Since there is no central organization for Tall Ships, Sail Boston has had to negotiate with separate consulates, navies and training academies around the world, as well as an array of security agencies.

Until all the ships complete the race from Bermuda, they will anchor at Broad Sound in Winthrop. From there, the ships will begin the parade, sailing past Spectacle Island and Castle Island into the inner harbor. Organized into flotillas based on size, each will have a lead vessel with four on each side.

At the docks, three ships will be open at any given time for boarding, with times posted at the discretion of each captain. Visitors can board ships at the World Trade Center, Fish Pier and Charlestown Navy Yard. At the latter two sites, there will be live entertainment, children’s activities and food daily.

“It’s a great treat to board,” Rhodes said. “People can crawl all over the deck, meet the crew and in some cases go below. It’s not like going into a museum. You’re touching and feeling and smelling and wondering.”

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta and Sail Boston Festival

WHEN: June 17-22

WHERE: Downtown Boston

VIEWING: Free from docks and the waterfront. Tickets required for cruises offered by multiple boat lines.

TRANSPORTATION: Sail Boston Express buses depart from the Riverside MBTA station in Newton, and Park and Rides in Worcester, Framingham, as well as many other locations. Tickets can be purchased online.

City Services

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Wicked Local West Roxbury ~ 254 Second Ave., Needham, Massachusetts 02494 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service